Recent satellite images show what appears to be a full-scale model of a U.S. Navy destroyer, built at a military testing facility located in an isolated desert area in China.
As noted by defense experts, the replica has many characteristics of an American guided-missile destroyer, and looks very much like a ship from the U.S. Navy.
It is speculated by military analysts that this replica may be employed for multiple uses, including target practice, weaponry testing, military training, or planning operations. For others, the construction of this structure might have been done with the aim to send some kind of a message as part of the ongoing competition between China and the U.S.
While there has been no official statement issued yet by the Chinese officials regarding the objective of the construction, the existence of such structures in other testing facilities operated by the Chinese military has long been known, and their function is mostly associated with research and military training.
It comes amidst tensions between the Chinese and the American governments on various matters, such as the South China Sea dispute, Taiwan, military modernization, and the security of the Indo-Pacific region.
Defense analysts mention that building replicas of foreign military hardware is not something new and is done not only by the Chinese military. Many nations have been using such mock targets for testing and evaluation of weaponry.
The recent images have once again sparked discussion regarding military readiness and the strategic rivalry between the world's two major military powers.